HBO Max is making headlines this week due to a rumored shake-up behind the scenes. They discreetly pulled six original films from their library without notice, which many suspect is the first move in their pending merge with Discovery+. Viewers should anticipate the cancellation of underperforming TV shows along with the disappearance of more films in the weeks ahead.
Will HBO Max completely abandon their beloved film library? Of course not. Nevertheless, now is definitely the time to stream the classic movies you’ve been meaning to watch. That brings us to our monthly round-up, which puts all the platform’s highest-rated titles in one convenient place. (These are some classic movies that flopped when they first came out.)
To determine the best movies to stream on HBO Max this August, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of July 2022, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. Documentaries were not considered. (Data on streaming availability, current as of this month, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood, and directorial credits are from IMDb.)
Click here to see the 50 best movies to stream on HBO Max right now
From Quentin Tarantino’s groundbreaking feature debut “Reservoir Dogs” to such essentials as the original “King Kong” and “Citizen Kane” and not one but five Charlie Chaplin classics, a cinematic feast is waiting. Catch these films and others for the first time or catch them again because some of them could disappear overnight. (Here are Charlie Chaplin’s best and worst movies.)
50. Blade Runner (1982)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (721,985 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (338,132 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (121 reviews)
> Directed by: Ridley Scott
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49. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (357,706 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (46,345 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (181 reviews)
> Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
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48. The Fugitive (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (279,123 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (267,937 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (79 reviews)
> Directed by: Andrew Davis
47. King Kong (1933)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (82,510 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (90,230 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (66 reviews)
> Directed by: Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack
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46. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (785,984 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (437,137 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
45. Gone with the Wind (1939)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (301,469 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (293,900 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (102 reviews)
> Directed by: Victor Fleming
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44. Paddington 2 (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (67,820 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (8,755 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (246 reviews)
> Directed by: Paul King
43. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (52,791 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (33,947 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Aldrich
42. Jurassic Park (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (909,321 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,071,829 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (130 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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41. The Wrestler (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (296,807 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (140,629 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (233 reviews)
> Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
40. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (133,169 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (16,920 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (41 reviews)
> Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
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39. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (60,720 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (495 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (339 reviews)
> Directed by: Shaka King
38. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (629,868 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (299,429 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (113 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
37. The Truman Show (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (989,294 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (584,020 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (133 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Weir
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36. American History X (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,067,616 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (479,979 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (87 reviews)
> Directed by: Tony Kaye
35. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (72,757 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (21,703 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Nichols
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34. The Iron Giant (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (180,630 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (204,968 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (142 reviews)
> Directed by: Brad Bird
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33. All the President’s Men (1976)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (109,442 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (50,360 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: Alan J. Pakula
32. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (343,587 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (241,507 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (194 reviews)
> Directed by: Terry George
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31. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (664,938 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (140,524 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (373 reviews)
> Directed by: Steve McQueen
30. Room (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (392,959 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (49,823 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (317 reviews)
> Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
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29. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (379,622 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (876,535 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (145 reviews)
> Directed by: Victor Fleming
28. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (104,091 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (55,195 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (60 reviews)
> Directed by: Elia Kazan
27. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (958,136 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (446,711 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (71 reviews)
> Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
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26. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 8.9/10 (1,710,236 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (34,679,773 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (275 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
25. The Departed (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,241,061 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (738,191 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (283 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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24. Unforgiven (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (391,927 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (122,861 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (106 reviews)
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
23. The Great Escape (1963)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (233,835 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (103,579 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (49 reviews)
> Directed by: John Sturges
22. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (66,253 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (47,240 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (101 reviews)
> Directed by: George Cukor
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21. Princess Mononoke (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (364,905 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (222,309 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (112 reviews)
> Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
20. Memento (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (1,169,429 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (381,352 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (181 reviews)
> Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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19. Citizen Kane (1941)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (422,500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (159,588 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (117 reviews)
> Directed by: Orson Welles
18. The Great Dictator (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (213,266 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (43,757 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (45 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
17. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,033,964 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (749,360 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: James Cameron
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16. Whiplash (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (763,755 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (70,602 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (297 reviews)
> Directed by: Damien Chazelle
15. Chinatown (1974)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (309,557 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (78,076 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (76 reviews)
> Directed by: Roman Polanski
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14. North by Northwest (1959)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (312,200 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (79,896 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (109 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
13. On the Waterfront (1954)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (148,492 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (52,268 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (105 reviews)
> Directed by: Elia Kazan
12. The Gold Rush (1925)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (106,473 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (20,591 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
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11. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,731,527 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,355,751 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (235 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (954,220 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (279,963 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (83 reviews)
> Directed by: Milos Forman
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9. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,546,188 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,341,428 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (255 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
8. The Kid (1921)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (120,168 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (15,470 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
7. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (228,668 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (138,714 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (67 reviews)
> Directed by: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen
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6. Pulp Fiction (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 8.9/10 (1,909,111 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (1,128,444 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (108 reviews)
> Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
5. Modern Times (1936)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (228,754 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (40,314 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (108 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
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4. City Lights (1931)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (176,008 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (27,144 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (54 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (2,419,864 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (1,831,566 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (345 reviews)
> Directed by: Christopher Nolan
2. Goodfellas (1990)
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,070,370 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97% (430,048 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (103 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 9.3/10 (2,465,102 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98% (887,061 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: Frank Darabont
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